The N900- Why I chose Maemo over Android

Towards the end of last year, it became clear to me that I needed to change my handset. My next platform of choice was Android apparently since I felt my love for Nokia’s Symbian had come to an end. However, I ended up grabbing Nokia’s N900 powered by Maemo, not because Android is bad but because Maemo is what I actually thought Android was.

Being a Linux user, I’ve gotten used to having absolute control over my system, a system that’s created for hacking and experimenting, one that gives u power in the real sense of the word. I found all these and more in Maemo.

As a very intensive mobile internet user who at the same time does not really see the need for a netbook, a tab or pad (I’ve a lappy, that’s enough), I wanted to have the best of both worlds: the functions of a full fledged computer in a mobile phone.

My initial choices were the Nexus 1 and the HTC Desire HD. But a careful comparison between theses phones and the N900 got me to choose the latter. Though both platforms are Linux builds, I have this view that Android is aimed specifically at the mass market while the N900 is aimed at power users.

One might argue a lot in favor of Android, citing points like app availability , ease of use, number of supported devices, market share among others. Sure Android does win in all those cases, but it’s really hard to argue out the power of Maemo to someone who does not use Linux on their machines.

For instance, I still don’t know of any better application/package management system like Debian’s apt-get, which is the default on Maemo. Add the power of the terminal and you really are in charge. To sum up, it all comes down to power over my phone. With the N900, I feel I have absolute power over my device out of the box. I also like to have a device that was created with hacking in mind.

So yes I’m an Android proponent and fan, but Maemo goes a step ahead to prove the raw power of Linux as a universal OS. By the, this post was entirely written on the N900 using an app called MaStory.